American Apparel Releases Controversial New Ad (NSFW)

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Elle | March 6, 2014

 

American Apparel, who recently featured a 62-year-old model in lingerie in a campaign and outfitted some of their window-front mannequins with fake pubic hair, just revealed its newest ad. Featuring the words "Made in Bangladesh" across a model's bare chest, this campaign is guaranteed to cause a stir.

According to the information under the image, the model's name is Maks, and she's a Bangladesh-born merchandiser who's been with American Apparel since 2010. Maks, whose family moved to California when she was four, followed her parent's Islamic traditions until she was in high school. It was then, the ad says, that Maks started distancing herself from the Islamic faith in search of her own identity, which makes her an ideal poster child for AA: "She doesn't feel the need to identify herself as an American or a Bengali and is not content to fit her life into anyone else's conventional narrative. That's what makes her essential to the mosaic that is Los Angeles, and unequivocally, a distinct figure in the ever expanding American Apparel family."

It's a bold move to link a topless model with a country where feminism is encouraged, but Islam is the state religion. We have reached out to American Apparel for comment.

Here is the full text that accompanied the image:

She is a merchandiser who has been with American Apparel since 2010. Born in Dhaka, the capitol of Bangladesh, Maks vividly remembers attending mosque as a child alongside her conservative Muslim parents. At age four, her family made a life-changing move to Marina Del Rey, California. Although she suddenly found herself a world away from Dhaka, she continued following her parent's religious traditions and sustained her Islamic faith throughout her childhood. Upon entering high school, Maks began to feel the need to forge her own identity and ultimately distanced herself from Islamic traditions. A woman continuously in search of new creative outlets, Maks unreservedly embraced this photo shoot.

She has found some elements of Southern California culture to be immediately appealing, but is striving to explore what lies beyond the city's superficial pleasures. She doesn't feel the need to identify herself as an American or a Bengali and is not content to fit her life into anyone else's conventional narrative. That's what makes her essential to the mosaic that is Los Angeles, and unequivocally, a distinct figure in the ever-expanding American Apparel family. Maks was photographed in the High Waist Jean, a garment manufactured by 23 skilled American workers in Downtown Los Angeles, all of whom are paid a fair wage and have access to basic benefits such as healthcare.